Hi-Rez Studios today announced a $10,000 5v5 Invitational Tournament for SMITE to be played the weekend of PAX East between March 22-24. With seven teams already invited, the eighth team spot will be determined by a Wildcard qualifier event two weeks prior on Sunday March 10th. The Invitational tournament itself will be shoutcasted from the PAX show floor and broadcast via Twitch.TV.

SMITE will also be available for walk-up play on the PAX East show floor within the Twitch.TV booth. Hi-Rez team members will be in attendance and, in combination with Twitch.TV and Alienware, will host SMITE events throughout the show including giveaways of the new SMITE 2013 Convention Skin, new Alienware skin for Ra, interaction with well-known SMITE streamers and pro players, and competitions to win T-shirts, SMITE Gems, and other prizes.

“PAX is always a great time because we get to meet and talk directly with the fans of our games,” says Todd Harris, Hi-Rez Studios Chief Operating Officer. “We’ve been attending PAX events consistently since 2009 and this year we’re excited to return and show off SMITE competitive play.”

SMITE is currently in Open Beta and can be downloaded and played for free at www.smitegame.com.